Between Glares and Curiosity
by loveyousox3
Summary: One-shot, spoilers for 3x04 and 3x05. Celeste is intriguing, Alicia is receptive. Was it all about Will since they first met? Alicia/Celeste


So that was it, Celeste was brave enough to ask Alicia Florrick for a few drinks. Because Alicia was supposed to be her opponent, being Will's current lover, having more attention from his eyes than she was sure she ever had when they were together. The truth was Celeste liked exes. She liked payback with men, but she felt she couldn't get closer to the attorney again since Alicia seemed to have it all…

Or had she?

Alicia was certainly closed about their relationship, but anyone with a good view could see something was happening there. And during Celeste's days seeing the Lockhart/Gardner employees and partners, she _noticed_ Alicia. She had perfect hair, talked like she really knew whatever she said; there was confidence to her, but in a discreet way. She even smelled good, Celeste found out as soon as she saw her the first time. And she also noticed, back at the firm, that everyone seemed to look at Alicia with some kind of interest. So yes, Celeste was curious.

Damn her curiosity. She hadn't been with a woman for years, and her focus was supposed to be Will and all she wanted from him, but still she found herself leaning more towards the hope Alicia would accept to go out with her. Until the day she did, after that long day at her office which looked like had been stressful.

"I like your car." Alicia said with a polite smile while they drove over to some bar Celeste commented she cared about when she was younger.

_I like that I'm driving with you in it_, Celeste thought, but only smiled back and put some music in the radio to play. "Any favorite station?"

"No, I usually listen from my phone."

"Oh, picky." Celeste smiled and the conversation drifted off for the moment, until they got there.

On the seat beside her, Alicia had her own interest on why Celeste was taking her out. She could have waited for Will, but after all that "I love you" scene a few days before she realized her hopes for their progressive relationship were lowering. And she liked that, because it meant she couldn't get hurt.

So what, she could go out with whoever she wanted. She looked at the brunette on the corner of her eyes and smiled. Suddenly not being committed felt like the greatest thing to happen. But Alicia wondered, hard, if Celeste was just doing this to get information on her ex. Maybe she could be still be interesting to other people, Alicia thought, but the last person who showed interest to her friendship had gotten her heartbroken. And she also wondered what else she was expecting from the dark haired woman, not quite able to put her finger on it.

Anyway, _this is stupid_, rushed through her mind.

"We're here." Celeste nodded at the place just out her window and then looked back inside the car, catching Alicia's eye lingering on her direction. She looked at her when parking to make sure the look was directed to her, and it was.

Alicia took a deep breath when Celeste arched an eyebrow and grinned, because honestly, she hadn't realized she had been staring all along.

"What's up?"

"Nothing." Alicia diverted her eye sight awkwardly and sighed while she got out of the car. "I think."

It was quite early still, but Celeste showed she didn't care when she called up for four shots of tequila. Alicia could only laugh at that, as she almost remembered her past evenings with Kalinda.

_Let's not go there._

"You're quiet." Celeste pointed out.

Alicia looked at her as she swallowed her first drink. "Oh?"

"I mean, you _are_ quiet. Not now, just about always."

Alicia made a face, annoyed with herself. "Maybe I need a shrink."

"Why? You don't look like that kind of girl."

Alicia preferred to change the subject, discharging her frustration about David Lee's _niece_ and the fact she really didn't want to be the one to hire the girl. But well, she didn't want anyone else in the office to do so too.

Celeste tried her best to be as polite as she could, differently from what she was used to do around Will. Alicia seemed like she really did need a moment to vent.

"I just don't like women. I find them uninteresting." Celeste said, no intentions in count. She felt she was totally open with this Florrick girl.

Alicia felt that under her skin, though. She frowned for a moment before saying, "Excuse me?"

"I don't like women. They're all competing with me."

"Don't men compete with you?"

"No they don't." Celeste answered without a second thought and sipped from her glass. "Do you have female friends?"

That's her chance to see what Celeste wants, she guesses, so Alicia blurts out "No, but I don't have any male friends either." Regrettably, she drinks again.

Celeste chuckles, which makes Alicia give her more attention. Celeste's kinda… _No, shut up._

_(cute)._

_No, you can't be serious. She's all tough._

"That's so sad. I'd be your friend, but I can't."

Alicia is suddenly offended. The drink spins inside her head, but she only says "Why not?" in a very collected manner.

"'Cause. Will."

Celeste is testing the waters, and Alicia senses it. Ah. So she did want to talk about him, but she was being way too nice to have made this all about him.

"Ahhhh. That's right."

In Alicia's world, no man could be more important than her personal life, as on labelling what she could and could not do. No, she wouldn't let that happen, not anymore. It was funny how she changed through the years. But then again, it was Celeste that was risking that possibility.

"I don't like you being with him. I'll break you two up." Celeste thought out loud.

That elicits a smile from Alicia's lips. She doesn't know why. "Okay. How?"

Celeste takes the opportunity to smile back, and it all happens too fast. "How would I do it?"

_Oh, vanilla. I have a whole palette of ideas, you could choose._

Alicia simply nods, curious.

"I'll tell him about you." Celeste curses at herself for not being weak for tequila.

"Oh, go ahead. Give me your worst." Alicia teases.

"No." Celeste changes her mind, not wanting to talk about Will. "I like you." She smiles, looking away. She doesn't know exactly how to deal with women.

"I like… you too, Celeste."

She wasn't expecting a reply.

"Then get me another round."

2 hours pass by, fast, leaving them to wonder why it was they couldn't get closer.

Alicia pulled her seat closer to Celeste and smiled. "I have a drunken confession."

"I'm not telling Will." Celeste smiled, circling the top of her glass with her index finger. She felt frustrated Alicia seemed to be the one making moves. Did she even know what she was getting herself into?

Alicia slapped her arm and laughed, getting consequently closer. "We should stop making this evening about Will."

"Oh, it's not like that. I really am not thinking of him."

Alicia smiles, weirdly not feeling jealous at all anymore; different from the other moments she spent around Celeste. This was natural. He was her ex, now her own interest. But Will was a man, and Alicia didn't like men 24/7. She felt comfortable sitting there, wondered if she could only teach herself to feel like that when she was also alone.

"Good that you're not." Alicia smiles nervously, and stops searching things to talk about for a moment.

"Alicia?" Celeste touches her arm, looking at Alicia with the question in her eyes.

Alicia looks back at her and locks their glares. She feels the touch, but doesn't want to look down because she doesn't want to mean she wants it off her.

"You were saying…" Celeste says in a low tone.

Alicia seems to be lost in another world.

"The confession?"

"Oh, yes!" Alicia's eyes fly everywhere, back to Celeste. She smiles again. "I was gonna say I think you're cute. But I don't want that so sound too _vanilla_."

Celeste looks at her for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter, moving her hand away. She's glad the bar is kind of crowded; in any other circumstances, people would have been interested.

Alicia is blushing, and she can't believe that she's feeling exactly that, but she loves the smile. She doesn't think of loving Will, but this smile. This is one of those moments that you'll remember forever, the light you get from being with someone.

"Sorry." Celeste held out. "No one has called me that, ever." She regrets saying it, but thinks Alicia must have said something earlier to feel embarrassed too, so she puts her thoughts somewhere else.

"Do you have female friends?" Alicia is serious because the drinks made her feel enchanted by this moment.

"Acquaintances. Lots of them."

Alicia nods, and puts her hand over Celeste's. "You're a good person."

Celeste knows Alicia did it to be nice, but she welcomes the opportunity and moves her thumb over the brunette's.

"No I'm not."

She's not even sad. Alicia thinks it's weird how comfortable this woman is with her own personality, but she's not giving anymore thought into that because she just had her thumb caressed.

"Am not, too." Alicia says almost in a whisper, as she looks up from their hands to Celeste's captivating eyes.

"Do you wanna get out of here?" comes before the hesitating second.

Alicia is confused. She does, she _really_ does, but she doesn't understand why she's all of a sudden attracted to a woman.

She clears her throat before saying something she'll regret. "How long are you staying in Chicago?"

Celeste arches an eyebrow. "Uh- I don't know yet. Maybe another week. I'm looking for a few changes in my routine yet."

"Huh." Alicia nodded, more to herself. "Okay, but I'm a little confused."

"I thought you'd be." Celeste sighed, looking down. She knew it, Alicia was Will's to have; she should be super loyal to even not official boyfriends or whatever that was.

"Oh no, Celeste…" Alicia gave her hand a little squeeze, let the alcohol take the best of her, and leaned in. "I'm not confused about wanting this."

When she pulled away, she looked deeply into the other's eyes.

"Oh, boy." Celeste chuckled, taking her hand from under Alicia's and placing it on her bare knee. She got closer and rubbed her cheek slowly against the lawyer's. She noticed Alicia was closing her fist and her eyes. "You could've just asked." Celeste kissed Alicia's cheek, her chin, the corner of her lips. "Don't worry, I won't obligate you into my bed."

The first move of her hand on Alicia's knee made Alicia swallow hard. She pulled Celeste's shoulder against her, and kissed her neck in different places, going up. She stopped before getting to her chin.

"Take me somewhere."

Celeste circled the block while she thought where they could possibly go, not wanting to drag Alicia to her hotel room. It didn't seem right.

"We can go to the park," Alicia said out of breath, moving her hand to Celeste's thigh. She knew it couldn't be the alcohol that was moving her muscles against better judgment, so she just decided she'd recheck her sexuality in the morning.

"Good one."

Alicia knew it wasn't far from there, but started to imagine what they would do then. _Make out in the freaking car?_

Celeste drove the fastest law would allow her. "You know, I don't do this often."

"What, being with other women?" Alicia laughed.

"Yep. I don't really do it ever."

"But you want me because…"

"I don't get with other women because I don't like many."

Alicia shut up, not wanting to sound cheesy with a _but you like me_, she hated those lines. So they didn't say anything else before arriving to the park, the air a little too heavy and warm inside the car.

Celeste called her out when they parked and Alicia noticed when she got out there was absolutely no one around, just the moonlight, Celeste's smell. She looked at her finger where her wedding ring used to be and smiled, before circling around the car and pulling Celeste's hand so she would face her.

"Is this too cheesy?" Celeste laughed waving her other hand, before Alicia leaned on the car, pulling the woman with her.

She was the one to make the move. She slid her hands to Celeste's hips, and simply kissed her. Celeste was taken by surprise, but took her hands to Alicia's face, bringing her closer. She kissed her like they were lovers, spreading little pecks on the other woman's lips. Until oxygen was needed, Alicia just took it in.

She pulled back with a smile.

"Have you ever done this before?" Celeste asked, caressing Alicia's face. They didn't move too far.

"Maybe once in college. Have you?"

"What, kissed another woman under the moonlight? No. Had a lot of lesbian sex? Yes, but that was years ago."

Alicia laughed a little. "Kiss me again."

"Uh, demanding."

Celeste did, parting her lips enough to draw a thin line on Alicia's lips with her tongue. Alicia almost moaned at that and parted her own, granting the access Celeste asked for. Their bodies moved against one another, _with_ the other. They stopped, and kissed like that again, and Alicia pulled at Celeste's bottom lip hard enough to hear a groan from her. _You deserve it for being so mean to me these days._

Alicia proved every curve of Celeste she could touch out in the street, touched her cleavage, teased her with bites and unexpected moves.

But maybe that was all. Alicia didn't feel like having sex tonight, even with this sex experienced _cute_ woman.

"Uh, I should go." Alicia said, Celeste's hands all over her back keeping her in place.

Celeste pouts and kisses her one more time.

"I will have to come back for you, won't I?" She can't help a sigh coming out her swollen lips.

"Yes, yes you will." Alicia smiles.

Alicia doesn't expect her to come back. Weeks later, she faces that night as a onetime thing. Will is in love with her, she _likes_ him, and she feels fulfilled. She misses a softer touch at times, thinks about calling Celeste, but it doesn't seem right. _Maybe she's found the one_, she tries to fool herself that's where her hopes lay at.

So Alicia is surprised one morning, when she enters her office and sees a post-it stuck to her desk, in a somewhat elegant writing.

"I'm back to see you. Let's go out? You know where to find me. Tonight at 8. x C"

Alicia knows she's tangling herself in a world totally unknown, but she does it anyway.


End file.
